What Might've Been: Blue Light (1966)

You might not recognize the name, but Larry Cohen was one of the more prolific yet also unsuccessful writers in Hollywood in the mid-60's.

Cohen created at least four series between 1965-7. Coronet Blue didn't hit the air until as a mid-season replacement on CBS in 1967. We've previously reviewed Branded & The Invaders, Cohen's most recognizable works. That leaves the World War II spy drama Blue Light, which Cohen developed for 20th Century Fox & ABC in 1966.

Blue Light starred actor-singer Robert Goulet as journalist-turned-double-agent David March, who crossed enemy lines and pretended to be a Nazi sympathizer in order to sabotage the Nazi war effort. Unfortunately, because of the success of the similarly themed CBS comedy-adventure series Hogan's Heroes, which was in its 2nd season, and the fact that Light essentially complemented another WWII-themed comedy, McHale's Navy, on the ABC roster, viewers might not have been ready for a more serious espionage series in the same era. Also, ABC would try a house-produced one hour drama, Garrison's Gorillas, the next year, and that too also lasted one season, though that series owed its existence more to the film, "The Dirty Dozen", than anything else.

I picked up a compilation movie, "I Deal In Danger", the other day, which collected episodes from the series. Unfortunately, that isn't available on YouTube, so we'll settle for the intro:



Goulet tried, but he just wasn't believable enough in the role of David March. That, along with the other factors mentioned, might've contributed to the show's demise.

Rating: C.